Sports writer has learned a lot since taking up distance running

Saturday

Over the past five-plus months, Iíve embarked on an unexpected adventure. Iíve run 10 5Ks since Feb. 16.

Itís been a rewarding experience for sure. With that in mind, here are some of the things that have come to mind during and after the races Iíve been involved with.

Don't get caught up in the start: I was fortunate enough to have two more experienced runners give me some good advice before my first 5K. They said not to get caught up in the excitement of the start and run too fast at the beginning.

That has served me well. In fact, one of my favorite parts early in a race is gladly letting people pass me. That way I can begin a steady pace and not wear myself out long before the finish.

Keep moving, even when hills come: Itís very easy to walk upon reaching a steep hill during a race. But I prefer to maintain at least a jog even on hills.

It's a great motivational tool because after maintaining some level of speed on a hill, every other part of a race can't feel quite as hard.

Reach the final line of support: Another tool that helps me get to the finish line is the crowd waiting there. I feel like if I can get close to the finish, the cheers of the kind people, mostly strangers, will help me push to the end.

Push through: One of the most exciting parts of running 5Ks for me is seeing how I can push through adversity during the race.

When I ran the Road to the Final Four 5K in Atlanta this April, twice I began to feel a little bit of pain (nothing serious) but kept running. By the end of the race, the pain was gone.

Then, at the Historic Beaufort Road Race on July 20, easily the hottest race day yet for me, my legs kept wanting to slow to a walk. But fortunately they kept moving fast enough to finish strong.

Running with friends, family: The 5Ks have been a great chance to be able to join with friends and family to chase goals or simply get some good exercise.

In fact, the Beaufort race was during my family's vacation, and eight of us competed ó three in the one-mile distance and five in the 5K.

Seeing new places: An interesting facet of my races has been the variety of cities. My first 10 5Ks have been in eight different cities: Charlotte, Kings Mountain, Atlanta, Gastonia, Mount Holly, Belmont, Shelby and Beaufort.

It's a chance to see the beauty of different towns.

T-shirts abound: Last but certainly not least, if you're looking to get involved in 5Ks, know that your money pays for more than just the run. Often, proceeds will go to charity and you'll usually get a shirt.

Nine of my 10 races have come with a T-shirt, and they're some of the best-looking ones I own.

So if you're thinking about beginning to exercise, you should definitely check into local 5Ks and start training.

I can guarantee you it's worth the sweat and hard work. I've got the memories and T-shirts to prove it.